 "Photo: Photo Illustration by Sarah Elkeaikati")
Students choose simplicity as the percent of stick shift cars on the road decreases. When does the convenience of an automatic vehicle override the perks of manually shifting gears?
The word “simple” is a term loved by most college students. This concept can be applied to exams, jobs, and even the preference of an automatic or manual vehicle.
The usage of manual transmissions, also known as stick shift, has dropped below 10 percent in the United States for multiple reasons.
“An automatic is easier,” said Monique Garcia, a first-year psychology student.
“I feel as if it is safer because when you have a stick shift you have to change gears to drive. [This is] such a hassle and you can’t change gears as quickly . . . if there is an emergency,” she said.
Safety is one important factor in the debate between automatic and manual cars.
On average, college students in their late teens and early twenties, are less experienced than older drivers, and therefore need as few distractions as possible.
The constant need to press the pedal and change gears with one hand arguably requires more concentration and discipline when driving, which can be difficult for inexperienced motorists.
“I think [a manual] would distract me,” said Julie Snook, a fourth-year apparel merchandising and management student.
I believe I too would be overwhelmed with the constant attention needed to drive a stick shift.
I drive an automatic and even with that particular luxury, I sometimes loose concentration on the road.
Another factor students think about when deciding their preference between stick shift and automatic is their comfort zones.
It is easier to stick to something they are used to, especially after only a few years of driving.
“An automatic is all I have ever driven,” said Christina Carlson, a first-year international business student.
The fact that fewer drivers actually try to drive a manual car is a testament to the transmission’s dying breed.
According to a 2003 statistic, 92.6 percent of cars and trucks on the road were automatic, leaving 7.4% percent as manual vehicles.
These numbers supply the notion that drivers choose automatic cars because there are more options to choose from.
Automatic cars do, however, posses positive attributes of their own.
Bhavik Patel, a fifth-year accounting student, has an interesting reason for his preference of manual cars over automatics.
“I do performance driving, and a manual transmission allows more control,” siad Patel.
NASCAR drivers, also use stick shift because they need as much control over their vehicle as possible, especially when they are traveling over 100 miles-per-hour.
Misha Parfet, a fifth-year plant science student, favors manual cars for a more practical and economical reason.
“[Manuals] tend to have better gas mileage,” she said.
The reason manual vehicles provide better gas mileage is the fact that the driver is in full control of the gears.
Because the driver is not dealing with the entire transmission, manually shifting gears can save gas.
If you are a driver who wishes to practice and adjust to a stick shift, you could be rewarded with fewer expenses in gasoline bills and more control over the vehicle itself.
On the other hand, automatic transmissions may mean more dollars in the tank, but ultimately make for a smoother and overall easier drive.
Reach Micheala Ard at: opinions@thepolypost.com
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